Crosscomm Corporation and Rogers Network services to provide metropolitan LAN-to-LAN ATM services.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 1996--CrossComm Corporation and Rogers Network Services (RNS) are cooperating to offer native high speed LAN-to-LAN ATM services in major Canadian cities. RNS will integrate CrossComm's Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) edge routers, edge switches and ATM concentration systems to provide a comprehensive data service for private network customers with LAN-based connectivity needs.

According to M.C. (Sam) Sanderson, President and COO of RNS, "RNS needed equipment functionality and reliability at price points that allow us to provide our customers with the affordable LAN connectivity services they want. CrossComm has that equipment"

Sanderson went on to say, "We have high expectations for our LAN connectivity services. One application will connect some 100 LAN sites in Vancouver and Toronto using CrossComm edge devices. Our network will carry data, video, and image traffic at OC-3c speeds (155Mbps), enabling our customers to deliver full LAN speed access to their locations."

William ("BJ") Johnson, CrossComm's President and CEO added, "We are delighted to be working with RNS in Canada. It is another confirmation that our ATM product line is competitive and robust. LAN-to-LAN ATM service is a terrific new market for us because it combines our routing heritage with our significant new capabilities in ATM and switching products. Coupled with strong remote network management, these are crucial requirements for carriers wishing to attack the broadband data services market."

Both Sanderson and Johnson believe that the LAN-to-LAN ATM market represents a great opportunity for their companies. Sanderson said, "The cost of broadband CPE has been prohibitive to date. The advent of lower-cost ATM adaptation devices in the US$10,000 range means that delivering LAN type speeds within the metropolitan area is now very attractive. Considering the growing demand for higher bandwidths, we see a whole new market rapidly evolving."

Until now, the growth of client/sever applications has been somewhat stunted due to the limited affordable bandwidth available to remote sites. As a result, many head office applications have either not been fully rolled out to the branch or are performance-bound at existing 56Kbps (DS0) or 1.544Mbps (DS1) speeds. According to Johnson, "You don't need to run ATM to the desktop to take advantage of ATM's higher bandwidth. By running ATM in the backbone and using edge routers to attach LANs, you can attain dramatic performance improvements at a reasonable cost -- and support newer image-based and multimedia applications that require LAN bandwidth. We have strong edge products to address this need. By working with innovative network providers like RNS, we can help offer a complete solution at attractive prices."

Sanderson echoed this sentiment, "The CrossComm equipment will allow us to offer a complete service to our customers. During the evaluation process, they met their commitments on time, provided us with extensive levels of technical support, and assisted us with various network designs. The modularity of ClearPathd gives us the flexibility we need to add new broadband services in the future, while the Integrated Network Management Systemd platform allows us to manage all network components using a single application."

About CrossComm Corporation

CrossComm Corporation (NASDAQ/XCOM), founded in 1987, designs, develops, manufactures and sells high-performance networking solutions. ClearPathd is the industry's first fully-integrated communications and networking strategy that provides IT professionals with a smooth transition from hub and router-based networks to the next generation LAN switching and ATM-based network environments. ClearPathd products -- integrating LAN switching, ATM, routing, and LAN hubs within a single, fault-tolerant platform -- offer complete, high performance, modular solutions that can grow as bandwidth demands increase. Worldwide headquarters are located at 450 Donald Lynch Boulevard, Marlborough, MA 01752. Canadian headquarters are located at 145 Wellington Street West, Suite 750, Toronto, ON M5J 1H8.

About Rogers Network Services

Rogers Network Services (RNS) is one of Canada's leading providers of telecommunications services and has been providing local high speed data transmission, private line voice, image, broadcast video and audio communications to Canadian businesses since 1989. RNS is a division of Rogers Cablesystems Limited, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. -0-

All CrossComm product names herein are trademarked by CrossComm Corporation. All other product or company names are trademarked by their respective companies.

CONTACT: Cynthia Mollus Jody Ness

Media Boston International Rogers Network Services

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Nancy Baptiste

CrossComm Corporation

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